RIP OR93

[Roxxsmom]

OR93 was a gray wolf who excited wildlife biologists and wolf enthusiasts as he roamed more than 1000 miles from his home in Oregon down to Southern CA, being tracked through San Luis Obispo and other locales that haven't seen a wild, free-roaming wolf since 1920 (at latest). Unfortunately, his journey ended at the side of I-5 in Kern county. No foul play is suspected; he clearly was hit by a vehicle,but it's a sad end to an epic journey.

Oregon-born wolf that traveled nearly 1,000 miles to California hit and killed by vehicle

OR93, who thrilled biologists by traveling nearly 1,000 miles from Oregon to California, was hit by a vehicle in California.

www.abc10.com

I suppose the good thing is that wolves are expanding their range again and returning to CA from other states, something I once thought would be impossible. The sad thing is that we have a lot of traffic and highways here, and they kill countless animals (and no few humans) every year.

 

[SWest]

Only 1 of my Rooo-ers left, but I'll ask if she wants to sing tonight.

 

[mccardey]

This is very sad news

 

[Seakat]

Let's hope there are lots of wolf pups from OR93 running around now.

 

[Roxxsmom]

Let's hope there are lots of wolf pups from OR93 running around now.

Probably not from him, sadly, as he hadn't found a mate (if he had, he wouldn't still have been roaming). There aren't going to be any female wolves that far south yet either, or they'd probably have tracked them too.

But he has relatives back in Oregon, and maybe some of them will be more successful. There have also been a few wolves that have managed to establish packs in far northern CA, so hopefully someday they will be more abundant here.

 

[Holly Green]

That's so sad.

Did someone write a childrens' book about him? I thought I saw that on Amazon, but might have got it wrong. (Typically can't find it now.)

Edit: Found it, but I did get it wrong, it says it was based on a wolf named OR7.

 

[Roxxsmom]

The children's book might have been about the wolf that wandered down from Northern Oregon to establish the Rogue Pack in Southern Oregon (well co-established, since he found a mate finally). That was the first wolf pack in that part of Oregon in a century. Since then some wolves (including relatives of OR-7 and some descendants of the Rogue Pack) have wandered into Northern CA and established some packs there.

Sadly, I don't think Southern CA is a promising destination for wolves. Mountain lions are having a tough time down there because of all the habitat fragmentation. Roads are really tough on wildlife, especially large animals that have to travel large distances to disperse.

 

[regdog]

I was so sad when I read this

 

[Holly Green]

Roads are really tough on wildlife, especially large animals that have to travel large distances to disperse.

I saw a beautiful doco series years ago where they built walkways over the roads for UK wildlife. I think it was narrated by Bill Bailey.

Edit: It's called, Wild Thing I Love You

 

[Roxxsmom]

They are doing this in some parts of the US too--building wildlife tunnels or overpasses.

The down side of being such a big country with so much space (connected mostly by highways), though is that it's hard to build enough of them here.

Wildlife has to learn to use those tunnels and overpasses too, which sometimes means going many miles out of their way and may make them feel either trapped or exposed. Not all species are equally inclined to use them. Design matters too, as the overpass has to be more inviting and feel safer than the highway to the intended species.

Maybe it could work for wolves, though, because they rely so heavily on scent and are less afraid of predators. Once one wolf uses a particular route, that individual, and other wolves, are likely to follow it again.

Here in the US, though, the re-population of wolves is not universally popular. There are some folks (ranchers and sports hunters in particular) who are perfectly happy to see them (and other large predators) smashed by cars. The highly unbalanced ecosystems we have in much of the US have come to feel normal.

 

[Holly Green]

Maybe it could work for wolves, though, because they rely so heavily on scent and are less afraid of predators. Once one wolf uses a particular route, that individual, and other wolves, are likely to follow it again.

Does anyone know if scent can be used to deter wildlife from crossing at the most dangerous parts of a highway? I'm thinking, (spurred on by a recent caffeine innoculation), of scent dispenser stations being placed in high risk areas, emitting smells animals would recoil from.

Edit: Or sound? A frequency only animals can hear. Has that been tried?

Edit again: Or maybe a scent or sound warning dispenser could be built in to vehicles? Or motion or heat sensors that would warn a motorist that an animal is on/near the road? (Sorry, caffeine does this to me.)

 

[SWest]

Starbucks?

 

[Holly Green]

Starbucks?

Well, maybe coffee could be that scent that screams, the humans are coming!

Are most animals repelled by the aroma of a fresh brew? My cats used to express their disdain, but, well...cats...

 

[SWest]

The problem with scent deterrents is that they are ordinarily scatological in nature. The freshness of a pile/puddle tells about how much danger exists at any one locale.

Wolves aren't worried about much, except where their pups are concerned (mothers don't sit in the nest most of the day). Bears, wolverines, other large predators do eat puppies: they're all seriously smelly. If an effective scent were made in a lab, not many people would want to live or work near it's continual deployment.

And animals feeling *whatever* pressure to move to Some Place Else do desperate things (like hazarding a bear's territory or crossing an open highway).

 

[Roxxsmom]

Does anyone know if scent can be used to deter wildlife from crossing at the most dangerous parts of a highway? I'm thinking, (spurred on by a recent caffeine innoculation), of scent dispenser stations being placed in high risk areas, emitting smells animals would recoil from.

Edit: Or sound? A frequency only animals can hear. Has that been tried?

Edit again: Or maybe a scent or sound warning dispenser could be built in to vehicles? Or motion or heat sensors that would warn a motorist that an animal is on/near the road? (Sorry, caffeine does this to me.)

They have these deer whistles some people put on their cars. I have no idea if they work at all. Some say not.

You'd think the sound of approaching cars or trucks would be a deterrent, but it doesn't seem to be. I suppose the animals become habituated. Or they are so desperate to cross the road they take the risk. Even domestic pets come to grief on roads with great regularity, and they have no survival-based reason to cross them (food and shelter are at home behind them, not across the busy road or highway). Wild animals really don't have a choice a lot of the time. Many species have to range pretty widely to find food, water, or mates or to establish new territories once they leave their parents.

 

[Holly Green]

You'd think the sound of approaching cars or trucks would be a deterrent, but it doesn't seem to be. I suppose the animals become habituated.

You'd think the vibration would warn them too--unless it spooks them into risky behaviour.

 

[MaeZe]

Sadly I report that someone in Oregon has been poisoning wolves:

8 wolves were poisoned in Oregon. Police are asking for help finding who killed them

The animals, including an entire wolf pack, were found poisoned earlier this year. "All investigative leads have been exhausted," says Oregon State Police Capt. Stephanie Bigman.

www.npr.org

 

[Holly Green]

Sadly I report that someone in Oregon has been poisoning wolves:

8 wolves were poisoned in Oregon. Police are asking for help finding who killed them

The animals, including an entire wolf pack, were found poisoned earlier this year. "All investigative leads have been exhausted," says Oregon State Police Capt. Stephanie Bigman.

www.npr.org

That's so sad. And so cruel.

 

[Roxxsmom]

I saw that article. It's so sad and frustrating.

There are still only a couple of thousand wolves or so in the lower 48. Their recovery is still very fragile, and it's maddening that they are being taken off the Federal protected list when their numbers are nowhere near what they once were, even in states with lots of wilderness.

Poisoning is an incredibly cruel way to kill animals anyway, even those that are truly "overly" abundant.